Arts News: Touchstone receives prestigious grant

Touchstone Theatre received a $20,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation for the completion of its two-year community project "Journey from the East," which included The Red Pavilion.

Touchstone Theatre received a $20,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation for the completion of its two-year community project "Journey from the East," which included The Red Pavilion.

"Journey from the East" concludes with a free, large-scale, outdoor theatrical production

TOUCHSTONE RECEIVES GRANT FOR 'JOURNEY FROM THE EAST'

Touchstone Theatre received a $20,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation for the completion of its two-year community project "Journey from the East." The project concludes with a free, large-scale, outdoor theatrical production featuring American and Chinese mythology April 18-19 and 25-26.

Inspired by the recently built Chinese Harmony Pavilion, another Luce Foundation-supported project with Lehigh University, and the growing influx of Chinese professionals, students and visitors to Bethlehem, Touchstone Theatre artists began gathering stories in 2013 from Bethlehem natives and tourists, restaurant owners and city officials, Asians and all other ethnicities to present the Lehigh Valley's perspective on the story of Bethlehem's Chinese community dating to the end of the 19th century.

The first year of the project focused on personal stories and historical research by Wang Dongning, an adjunct associate at Lehigh University. This culminated in "Journey: Dream of the Red Pavilion," written and directed by Touchstone Associate Mary Wright and presented last April.

"Journey from the East," the second and final production, is written by Touchstone co-founder and Lehigh alumnus Bill George and Touchstone Associate and Moravian College Director of Theater Christopher Shorr.

The play, directed by Touchstone Artistic Director Jp Jordan, explores themes of national identities and attitudes through cultural narratives: for America, the mythic Old West and the cowboy, and for China, the epic novels "Journey to the West" and the "Monkey King."

The production, co-produced by Moravian College, will involve the Touchstone Theatre Ensemble along with students and faculty from Lehigh and Moravian as well as community participants. Each performance weekend will offer special auxiliary events, including a guest lecture by Victor H. Mair, an internationally known Chinese scholar from the University of Pennsylvania, sponsored by Lehigh University's Religion Studies department. A Chinese-style Spring Festival and a pyrotechnic display by Celebration Fireworks will follow the final performance.

"Touchstone is honored that the Henry Luce Foundation found 'Journey from the East' worthy of support," says Lisa Jordan, Touchstone managing director. "Their belief in and generosity toward the project made this international collaboration a reality."

Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time magazine, established the Henry Luce Foundation in 1936 to honor his parents who were missionary educators in China. The foundation seeks to bring important ideas to the center of American life, strengthen international understanding and foster innovation and leadership in academic, policy, religious and art communities. Touchstone's "Journey from the East" project was supported through the Asia Program.

On Feb. 12, the first day single tickets became available for the 2015 Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival season, ticket sales set a new record — an increase of 85 percent more than the previous record set in June 2011.

"Together with record subscription sales compared to the same time period in previous seasons, this one-day sales record suggests that our 2015 season is poised to set a new standard for PSF," says Managing Director Casey Gallagher.

" 'Les Misérables' ticket sales are a driving force, but ticket sales for all the productions are significantly ahead of last year, which came close to matching the attendance record of 33,940 set in 2011," he says.

In one day, 809 tickets were sold for about $38,000, predominantly for 'Les Misérables,' the season opener. Normal one-day sales in February range between 100 and 200 tickets. The previous single largest sale day in the box office was on June 13, 2011 when the total sales were around 500 tickets totalling $18,400, with about two-thirds for 'South Pacific.'

Once PSF received the rights to produce 'Les Miserables,' increasing the number of performances was fully explored. "The best we could do was to add two Wednesday matinees to our traditional schedule," says Gallagher. There will be 22 peformances.

"We have a total of 10,400 seats and we expect to sell them all."

The season also includes "Around the World in 80 Days," "The Foreigner," "Henry V," "Pericles," "Rapunzel" and "Shakespeare for Kids."